HempBC Online – Students who smoke marijuana . . .

TORONTO, July 29 /CNW/ – Students who smoke marijuana are unlikely to be influenced by anti-cannabis messages from adults, according to a new study by the Addiction Research Foundation (ARF).

Students in the qualitative study tended to regard social or occasional marijuana use as acceptable and normal among their peers. On the other hand, these same students also recognized marijuana is potentially harmful and were likely to set their own rules or limits for using the drug.

The study was undertaken in an attempt to understand the attitudes of students towards marijuana. Earlier ARF research, the Ontario Student Drug Use Survey, had found marijuana use almost doubled between 1993 and 1995, to 22.7 per cent, and that fewer students perceived risks in using marijuana. Preliminary results from this year’s survey indicate that there has been no further increase in marijuana use, although there is still the question of why marijuana use rose in previous years.

The new ARF study consisted of 49 focus groups in nine high schools across Ontario. A total of 278 students participated in the groups. They came from both public and private schools and had a variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds. The study was undertaken to explore students’ opinions about marijuana use and the role of peers and adults in shaping attitudes and behavior.

“Most of the students told us that they regard recreational use as the norm. Marijuana doesn’t have the same symbolic meaning of rebelliousness for them as it did in their parents’ youth,” said Dr. Jessica Warner, the ARF scientist who led the study. Two of the most important factors influencing the students’ attitudes were their own personal experiences and the credibility of the people giving them information. Many of the study participants expressed the opinion that while they would not pressure a friend into smoking marijuana, it was more acceptable to refuse if the person had some experience with it.

Most participants questioned the credibility of drug information and adults who gave them anti-drug messages. For example, parents who had never smoked marijuana were judged not to be credible sources of information on the drug, while parents who did admit to previous marijuana use were criticized for their “do as I say, not as I do” message.

There were few signs that students were pressured into trying marijuana, but the study found that peer influence did play a role. Many students said they smoked marijuana in an effort to fit into a social group. However, the same peer group would also influence them not to use marijuana excessively. Occasional use at parties was generally viewed as acceptable, but daily use was not. Other illicit drugs were also widely judged to be unacceptable.

“This study has major implications for drug education and prevention programs,” said Dr. Perry Kendall, President of ARF. “The students we talked to are unlikely to follow `just say no’ messages, yet they seem to regulate the way they use marijuana to avoid potential problems. They also clearly differentiate between marijuana and other `harder’ drugs.

“School boards and public health agencies should be evaluating their drug education programs to see if they are achieving their goals. They should concentrate their resources on those students who need help the most, the ones at risk of developing serious drug problems. They need to go beyond simply handing out information to delivering comprehensive programs w real support for the students and help them build life skills,” The opinions expressed in the focus groups are not necessar representative of the total student population. However, the re qualitative study can be the starting point for future research, in pilots of new education and prevention programs, and help devel questions to ask in large population surveys.

Ontario’s High School Students Speak Out About Marijuana

Addiction Research Foundation

News Media Backgrounder

The Purpose of this Qualitative Study:

The focus groups were established to explore issues raised by ARF’s Ontario Student Drug Use Survey. This is a large, quantitative study which has surveyed thousands of students across Ontario every two years since 1977. Drug use among Ontario students today is much lower than it was in the 1970s. However, marijuana use nearly doubled between 1993 and 1995 to 22.7 per cent, and the survey found that fewer students perceived risks in using marijuana.

The results from this recent qualitative study will provide public health professionals and school boards with some new insight into students’ attitudes, and could help them refine or refocus their drug education and prevention programs. This study could also be the starting point for further research into teens’ perceptions and their behavior.

Results:

– People who smoked marijuana occasionally or recreationally were judged to be socially popular by many study participants. The influence of peers or the social group encouraged occasional use only. Most participants viewed smoking marijuana daily or excessively as socially unacceptable. They also generally looked down upon people who used other illicit drugs.

– The attitudes of the study participants were shaped by their own personal experiences and the observed experiences of siblings and peers. Most observed little or no negative consequences from occasional marijuana use. The participants were likely to disregard those anti-marijuana messages which were at variance with what they had observed. This finding fits in with changes of attitude reported in the 1995 Ontario Student Drug Use Survey, which found fewer students perceived risks in using marijuana.

– Many participants believed that once an individual has tried marijuana, he or she may credibly refuse an offer to use it on another occasion. People who had not tried marijuana were often viewed as unqualified to reject marijuana out of hand.

– Several participants talked about peer pressure, but there was little evidence that they had actually been pressured by someone to try marijuana. Many did say, however, they smoked marijuana to fit in with a social group.

– Marijuana use among today’s teens does not symbolize rebellion as it did among teens in the 1960s and 1970s. Instead, many participants in the study tended to regard their peers who use marijuana occasionally as mainstream, conventional teens.

– There appeared to be few observable differences between the children of immigrants in the study and other participants. First-generation students in the study did tend to receive strict anti-drug messages from their parents, however, many of them had the same attitudes towards marijuana as children of parents born in Canada.

Methodology:

– 49 focus groups in nine high schools across Ontario, with 278 participants (155 males, 123 females). The participants were recruited from Grades 9, 11, and 13. The high schools were chosen to get a sample that was representative of Ontario’s geographic and socio-economic diversity. The focus groups were conducted in 1996 and 1997.

– Two schools were single-sex private schools, the rest were co-educational and public.

– Participants knew in advance what the focus groups would be discussing. They were asked about attitudes and perceptions. They were not asked about their own experiences with marijuana, although many students willingly talked about their own use.

Examples of ARF Youth Programs:

– ARF has published a series of informative booklets for teens: About Marijuana, About Alcohol, About Cocaine, and About Smoking.

– The Personal Skills Program was developed several years ago by ARF to help prevent high-risk youth, aged 14 to 17, from developing alcohol and other drug problems. Opening Doors, a new ARF program, builds on the work of the earlier program and is aimed at students in Grade 9 who are at risk of developing problems related to drug use, such as dropping out of school and getting low marks.

– ARF also created the Youth Action Program, designed to develop 13 to 19-year-olds with leadership potential into “peer helpers,” who will help high-risk youth with alcohol and drug problems.

For further information: ARF Public Relations and Fundraising, (416) 595-6015, No.12 (97-98)